Welcome to the 21st Century

I’ve been on the hunt for a new car for months.  For years, I drove a SUV….Ford Explorer then a Toyota 4Runner and a RAV4.  They were perfect for transporting kids and equipment to sports events followed by moving them in and out of dorm quarters.  And then it all ended and one day I decided to search for a Toyota Solara convertible….the beautiful blue one with a black top.

My mom days were over as were my staid days as a school principal.  I’m single.  Time to live a little, change the image a bit, put that top down, feel the wind in my hair.  But Toyota had stopped manufacturing those convertibles by the time I wanted one so I consulted my brother to find me one and he did.  A real gem….a 2006, blue with a black top and leather interior and only 38,000 miles.  I bought it and he sold my 2006 RAV4.

It was a new day and a pretty good deal.  That was five years ago and I put about 100,000 miles on that car, traveling up and down the east coast.  At first, I was totally in love but then I started to notice little flaws….just like in any romantic relationship.  It didn’t have a jack for my iPhone.  The sound system wasn't great but who can hear anything with the top down?  I sat so low in the seat I could barely see over the steering wheel.

Okay, I admit I’m short…very short…but I abhorred having to sit on a pillow to see out the front window.  And the visibility in the rear?  Awful!  I hated having to back up or back into a parking space.  Not to even mention that my eyesight isn’t the best!

Most of the time I didn’t even want to put the top down.  As opposed to Buff Honey who also has a 2002 Solara convertible…black with a tan top with almost 250,000 miles on it.  Yes, the car has dents and scratches and a cracked leather interior but he is still in love.  He cannot bear to have the top up.  Of course, he used to ride a motorcycle daily through any kind of weather in Washington DC  commuter traffic.  Many days it took hours to get any feeling back in his feet and hands.  He went from his motorcycle to a convertible.  He still loves the wind in his face.  He needs his convertible.

For me, it was just a whim.  I had this dream to have a convertible.  I mean, I’m getting up there so if I was going to do it, I should just go ahead. I did and didn’t love it.  I started looking nostalgically back on my RAV4, sitting up high…no pillow necessary…and being able to see everything out the back.  I wanted that fabulous turning radius back.  But I had to ditch my ‘dream’ car before I could fall in love again.

I tried selling it on cars.com and craigslist and there were several bites….mainly from crackpots.  They actually thought they could get my bank info or my PayPal info so they could ‘deposit’ their money for the car.  I’m no whiz kid but I wasn’t buying that.  That went on for months and I wasn’t getting closer to my next car.  With winter on the way in Maryland, no one was thinking they just had to have a convertible ,so I drove it to Florida with the express purpose of getting rid of it as soon as we landed.

After two weeks on Craigslist in Florida and dropping the price drastically, I gave up and went into a Toyota dealer’s showroom in Venice.  I told him up front I wasn’t buying today but wanted to drive a new RAV4.  There was also a female sales associated with him that he was supposedly training.’ He asked about my convertible and I told him I’d tried to sell it myself and he immediately went into gales of laughter.  Why that was so darn funny I have no idea.

 I drove the new car, loved it (of course) and he told me they’d give me a trade-in of $1500 for my car.  So, I went into gales of laughter.  This went on for awhile until the sales manager came into the negotiations and said he’d give me $6000 for it if I bought that minute.  I balked and walked out.  Okay, maybe I walked out on the deal of a lifetime but I didn’t like these two slicksters.  How can they say $1500 one minute and $6000 the next? They’re not getting my money.  Done.

I made an appointment for the next day at a dealership in Sarasota. I walked in at the appointed time and the guy I was supposed to meet with was off that day.  Really?  I had just talked to him the day before.  Now, I’m down on Toyota and decided to go to the Honda dealership.

That’s where I met Andrew, probably in his mid 20s, very professional, didn’t promise the moon, was honest and professional from the beginning to the minute I drove that silver CRV off the lot.  The third time was the charm.  They gave me $5500 in trade-in and I’m sure I didn’t get the deal of a lifetime but it was fair.

Plus, who could not love these new cars?  It’s got the back-up camera, the blind side camera for changing lanes, the flashing BRAKES signal if you get too close to the car in front of you, a fabulous sound system that meshes with your iPhone, the car mileage data proving that these really are fuel efficient vehicles and the pick up on the highway is outstanding.  I still have a lot to learn and have returned to Andrew for a couple of extra lessons.  I am slowly entering the 21st century.

It still has that new car smell.  I love all the safety features, so much so that I can’t imagine not having them.  Every time I get in that driver’s seat automatically calibrated for my size, I breathe a heavy sigh.   Ahhhh….I’m in love!